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Capital One UK review

Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

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Our verdict

Capital One UK suits UK applicants with poor credit who want a card with a long balance transfer runway and no annual fee. Borrowing is the weak point: the card charges an APR of 34.9%, and the promotional window of 18 months is where the value sits.

Key facts

Best for
Poor credit applicants in the UK who want a long balance transfer window and no annual fee.
Annual fee
£0↗
APR
34.9%↗
Currency conversion fee
2.75%↗
Rewards type
None↗
Balance transfer intro period
18 months↗
Balance transfer fee
3%↗
Credit needed
Poor↗
Perks
Free CreditWise credit score and report, Up to 56 days interest-free on new spends, Section 75 protection on spends between GBP 100 and GBP 30,000, Up to 2 credit limit increases a year, Free QuickCheck eligibility check with no impact to credit score, Round-the-clock fraud security↗
Card kind
Credit↗
Legal entity
Capital One (Europe) plc↗
Headquarters
United Kingdom↗
Founded
1996↗
Support channels
Chat, Phone, Email, Help-centre↗
Pricing model
No annual fee
Official website
capitalone.co.uk

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 6 sources

Apps and profiles

Get the app
App StoreGoogle Play
Elsewhere
X

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Annual fee of £0, ranking 1 of 312 cards on that measure.
  • A balance transfer fee of 3% paired with a 18 month promotional period gives a long runway on old card debt.
  • A free credit score and report, an eligibility check that leaves the credit score untouched, and statutory purchase protection on qualifying spends.
  • Support runs through chat, phone and email, so help is available by phone, chat, email and a help centre.

Cons

  • An APR of 34.9% sits well above the site median of 15.5%, so a carried balance is expensive.
  • Rewards type is none, so everyday spending earns nothing back.
  • A currency conversion fee of 2.75% on foreign spending compares with a site median of 1%.
Capital One UK

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Scored 9.0 / 10 by SumCue.

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Who it suits

  • UK applicants with poor credit who want a mainstream card rather than a premium one.
  • Anyone clearing an old card balance and valuing a 18 month window to do it.
  • People who want a credit score and report kept free alongside the card.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Wise, for anyone spending abroad often, since its card conversion fee is 0% against 2.75% here.
  • Varo Believe Secured Credit Card, if a secured card route suits better, with an annual fee of $0 and no promotional period to lean on.
  • bunq, whose personal plans carry an annual fee of €0, for euro account holders rather than UK credit applicants.

Fees and currency costs

The credit card carries an annual fee of £0. Balance transfers cost 3% a transfer, which is the price of moving an old card balance onto this account. Spending abroad adds a currency conversion fee of 2.75%. Credit carried month to month is charged at an APR of 34.9%, the figure that decides whether the card pays for itself.

Rates and terms

The promotional balance transfer runs for 18 months, long enough for a plan to clear a meaningful chunk of an old balance. After that window the card reverts to its standard rate, an APR of 34.9%. Anyone clearing slowly should treat the promotional period as the deadline rather than the starting line.

How Capital One UK compares

Where Capital One UK is available

Available
United Kingdom

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Is there an annual fee to hold the card?+

No annual fee is charged on the credit card, so keeping it open costs nothing in fees. The value sits elsewhere: a balance transfer fee of 3% and a promotional period of 18 months. Rewards type is none, so nothing comes back on everyday spending.

What rate do I pay if I carry a balance?+

The card's standard rate is an APR of 34.9%, well above the site median of 15.5%. That rate applies to new purchases and to any balance left after the promotional period ends, so carrying a balance is the expensive way to use it. Clearing the full amount each month avoids the interest.

How does a balance transfer work and what does it cost?+

A balance transfer moves an existing card balance onto this account for a fee of 3%, and the promotional period lasts 18 months. Interest-free spending on new purchases runs alongside it. The card is a credit card, so new spending can be paid down rather than cleared in full.

Will I be accepted with a weak credit file?+

The card targets applicants with poor credit, so a thin or damaged file is not an automatic bar. A free QuickCheck eligibility check shows whether an application would succeed without affecting the credit score, and the free CreditWise score and report let applicants track the file first.

Does the card earn cashback or points?+

Rewards type is none. Nothing comes back on what you spend, so the card competes on the length of its interest free window and the transfer offer instead. Cashback cards return a share of spending, which is the trade off to weigh against an APR of 34.9%.

What does spending abroad cost?+

A currency conversion fee of 2.75% applies to transactions in another currency. Compared with the site median of 1%, that is a meaningful cost on holiday spending and on anything bought in foreign currency from UK merchants.

Who issues the card and where is it based?+

The card is issued by Capital One (Europe) plc, based in the UK, and the group dates back to 1996. Support is offered through chat, phone and email, so a question about a balance or a transfer can go to a person rather than a form.

Sources

Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Capital One UK

Capital One UK

Poor credit applicants in the UK who want a long balance transfer window and no annual fee.

9.0/10See alternatives